Battery Problem has Apple Proactively Replacing iPhone 5s Units

Some iPhone 5s units Apple shipped suffer from a manufacturing issue that can cause the battery to drain too quickly and take too long to recharge, so the company is reaching out to affected users to offer them a replacement. Apple isn't saying exactly what the problem is, but is acknowledging the battery issue is real.

"We recently discovered a manufacturing issue affecting a very limited number of iPhone 5S devices that could cause the battery to take longer to charge or result in reduced battery life," Apple spokesperson Teresa Brewer told the New York Times. "We are reaching out to customers with affected phones and will provide them with a replacement phone."

Apple isn't saying exactly how it will be contacting customers, but it looks like the company has some sort of plan in place. That may not be a major undertaking since the company is implying that not very many iPhone 5s units are impacted by the manufacturing issue.

The iPhone 5s went on sale in the United States on September 20. The latest version of the company's smartphone includes a 4-inch Retina Display, improved camera and flash, a 64-bit A7 processor and M7 motion coprocessor, Touch ID fingerprint scanner, iOS 7, and more.

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Manufacturing issues can be a pain, and aren't much of a surprise when new products ship in large quantities. Still, it's nice to see Apple proactively addressing this issue instead of reacting to widespread customer complaints.